[phil24_7]

I am currently renovating 2 of the bedrooms in my house. It is a double fronted, semi detached Victorian house and I have knocked down the lath and plaster dividing wall between the two rear bedrooms. It has obviously been repaired several times in the past as there are several types of gypsum based plaster in various places around the room.

It is obvious that the two large windows must have rotted out many years ago as both the sections under the windows have been built up using a cement based plaster, the plaster between the two windows has some evidence of minor dampness, some old, some current and some that has been patched with cement.

The party wall side (left side of the house) is in good condition apart from a few poor repairs using cement, these include one of the wooden edgings being redone in plaster whilst leaving the other!

The opposite chimney breast had been re-done with modern gypsum as had both of the alcoves.

The alcove to the right of this chimney breast more or less disintegrated when I started to remove the gypsum as it had blown due to moisture in the wall, the alcove on the other side has been completely repaired with cement, this goes around the corner and up to the window and is so hard, even a percussion drill, set to hammer only and fitted with a chisel wont break through it very easily.

I know the plaster on the outside of the walls must have some damage or cracks in it (although I can't see them as they're pebble dashed) to allow the moisture into the walls and I was originally planning on redoing all walls except for the chimney breasts in lime plaster to allow the walls to breathe. I'm not sure whether I will be able to remove all of the cement based plaster to allow this to happen, even if I can, I'm not sure whether it will damage the stone walls or not.

This leaves me in a bit of a pickle. Do I:

1. Try to remove the cement render and then get all the walls lime plastered and then paint with breathable paints

2. Leave the cement plaster and lime plaster the remaining walls, then paint with breathable paint

3. Do all the walls with a cement based render and skim with gypsum plaster then paint with whatever the hell I want.

Option 3 would almost certainly mean that I need to re-render some of the outside of the house to stop moisture getting in. This wouldn't be the end of the world as I am having a side extension done this year so could do the side of the house at the same time (would also externally insulate at the same time) and then do the rear of the house when finances allow.

So those in the know...what do ya think?

Thanks in advance